Bench talking
by starz454
Summary: late night bench convo. J/R hard to explain
1. Benches,keys and tears

AN: Set when Rory takes a walk after the fight with her mother in A-Tiscket A-tascket

Spoilers: Season Two

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own anything song lyrics belong to Superchic(K) and Switchfoot

Bench Talking

She collapsed onto the bench bending at the waist, convulsing in tears. She hated fighting, especially with her mother. Jess was great, she had fun with him. They could talk and talk for hours without anything to really talk about. When she went out with Dean she always thought of a few things that they could talk about before hand so that they wouldn't fall into uncomfortable silence. The thing she realized with Jess was that the silence was never uncomfortable.

I'm not afraid to fall

It means that I climbed up high

To fall is not to fail

You fail when you don't try

She was sixteen years old, maybe it was time for a change. She'd been in love with Dean, once but things had lost spark. A kiss from him wasn't something that she waited for eagerly every afternoon and she didn't stake out his house or school. Maybe she was falling for Jess, she was sure she didn't love him the same anymore.

I'm not afraid to fall

I might just learn to fly

And I will spread these wings of mine

So maybe she was just using Dean as a barrier, a house she could lock herself inside of when she was afraid. She was afraid of falling in love, again. She swore at herself for ignoring her feelings again and was even more angry at herself for falling again. The leaned back against the back of the bench and closed her eyes for a moment and headed home.

After helping Luke close the diner he'd taken a walk and ended up on the bench, his second favourite place in Stars Hollow. He lay down on his back staring at the sky reminiscing about his afternoon, including Rory, books and pizza. His favourite things (in that order.) He'd been in _____ before. It was blank because he didn't know the difference between supreme like and love. So he broke it off and regretting leaving himself questioning. They were similer, she and Rory. But Rory isn't comparable to anything. 

There's always something

In the way

There's always something

Getting through

But it's not me

It's you

He knew she had feelings for him. They were all but suttle and she ezpressed them through their conversations. That's why he enjoyed talking to her, because he knew they always left her thinking about him. Not to sound egotistical but he was good at reading people and he knew that she wasn't estatically happy when she was around Dean. He sat up and noticed a glinting object on the ground. He picked it up and realized that it was a set of keys. He dropped them on the bench next to him and sat back.

I hope to lose myself

For good

I hope to find it in the world

Not in me

It's you

She'd been halfway home when she'd noticed that her house keys were not longer in her pocket. She trecked slowly back to the bench staring at the ground. When she reached it she saw her keys sitting on the bench next to Jess. "Hey." He greeted tossing her the keys. She sat down next to him.

"Hey, what are you doing out so late?"

"Star gazing."

"Don't go geek on me."

"You caught me in the act."

"As long as you can't name any we're ok."

"Unless Uranus counts then I think we're ok." She laughed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just got in a fight with my mom."

"What about?"

"You."

"You're mom doesn't like me, I know, its an unspoken battle. She's really big on first impressions."

"That's about it."

"She thinks I'm dangerous."

"Pretty much."

"I wouldn't do anything, I wouldn't hurt you."

"I know, she doesn't understand." She stood up. "See you." She hurried away.


	2. Quote wars

How Do I Know You Love Me? 

because you accept me for who I am, 

because you help me through difficult times, 

because you laugh with me in the good times, 

because you share your life, your dreams, your sorrows, your joys,! 

-Catherine Pulsifer

Rory looked at that slip of paper with the neat writing on it. It wasn't Dean, it must've been Jess. She had found it in her jacket pocket that morning. She sat down at her desk and scribbled a reply, pocketed both pieces of paper and hurried out the door to the diner. 

Jess unfolded a slip of paper that he found on one of his trays that morning. Printed in neat writing was : 

"You're nothing short of my everything." 

- Ralph Block 

He smiled and searched through a few of his books until he found the perfect reply. He placed it on her window sill after school that day.

When Rory got home she noticed two things in her room, the shades were up and a small piece of white paper lying on the sill.

"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never

hurts." 

Charles Dickens 

"Dodger," she whispered to her self and smiled planning her reply. 

The following afternoon Jess woke up and found a slip of paper on his bed. He smiled and unfolded the writing the same as last time.

"Do you love me because I am beautiful,

or am I beautiful because you love me?"

...Cinderella

He quickly scribbled a reply and dressed smiling.

After school when Rory stepped off the bus she saw a white envelope taped to the bench where she had been with Jess the other night. She grabbed the envelope and headed home, only then did she open it. 

Love builds bridges where there are none." 

-R. H. Delaney

You're beautiful either way. I'm out of quotes meet me on the bench at ten. 


	3. stood up

I'm a proud JORY fan despite the minority of us on ff.net J/R (if u prefer) all the way..

*****************************

and after that bit of immature squabbling the saga continues.

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Jess left the diner thoughts swirling in his mind. He knew that she and Dean were still together. Gossip flew quickly through the town. 

Everything I know 

tells me she's everything 

that I could hope for 

everything I know 

tells me I can't let her 

walk away 

I took my time to find

the words 

I hoped she'd feel 

the same

Rory pulled on a zip up sweater at nine thirty and picked up the phone. "Dean?"

"Hey. Whats up?"

"Dean I don't think this is working anymore."

"You don't love me, you never did."

" I did, but I can't. Not anymore."

"This is about him isn't it."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, I still love you. I never stopped. I want you to be happy."

"Thank you. Don't be a stanger ok."

"Yeah, ok."

She hung up the phone prepared for anything, and everything. 

Can it be love that I feel in my heart?

Can it be love - have I fallen for you?

Can it be love?

Everlasting Emotion?

'Cause when you look at me and Smile I Know...

Would Never Ever Work like this

Would Never Ever happen so fast

Don't blame me 'Cause I can't help myself

Can't seem to open my Eyes - I'm dreaming

He sat down on the bridge and glanced at his watch. She was half an hour late. He submitted to the realization that she wasn't coming and left the note taped the bridged, he walked away and didn't look back.

Rory raced to the bridge swearing when she glanced at her watch and realized that she was half an hour late. He was going to think that she wasn't coming and then she might just lose the one thing she'd given up everything for. When she reached she whispered-yelled his name but no one answered and she saw a white envelope on the ground. It had her name on the front. She opened it but couldn't see the writing so she pocketed the letter and hurried home to read it. 

She snapped the light on in her room and sat down at her desk unfolding the letter.

Dear Rory,

If you are reading this letter we obviously aren't together right now even though I want us to be. I wonder if you do also. Maybe I'll never know, but then I would the rest of mylife second guessing and wondering about what might have been, what could've been. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I don't believe in love at first sight. It's unrealistic. However, love after half an hour I do believe in. I've clocked more than that much time with you. We could be great.

The letter wasn't signed but she knew who it was from. 


	4. Finally

K Songs in the last chapter don't belong to me but I can't remember who they belong to so the credit goes to whoever wrote them. 

Rory dropped the piece of paper as if it had scalded her. She took a few deep breaths and took out a pen.

The next morning in the diner Jess avoided her eyes. She got her coffee to go and when she left he noticed a white envelope sitting on the counter. He picked it up and stuffed it in his pocket to read later. He opened it during homeroom that morning; it felt like it had been burning a hole in his pocket.

Dear Jess,

I found your letter. I'm sorry I didn't show up last night, I was breaking up with Dean and it took longer than I expected. What I want to say I can't write. Meet me on the bench, same time.

And he smiled. 

She sat down on the bench approximately five minutes early that night rubbing her hands back and forth in the cold air. He sat down next to her a few seconds later handing her a Styrofoam mug of coffee. "Thanks." She said sipping slowly savoring the warmth that filled her body. After a few moments of silence she spoke up. "There's a lot that you don't know about me."

"There's a lot that you don't know about me." He replied glancing at her briefly. 

"I'll fill you in, if you fill me in."

"Favorite Book?" He asked.

"Anna Karenin and the Catcher in the Rye. You?"

"The sun also Rises, Catcher in the Rye."

"Copycat. Favorite Movie?"

"No such thing as a bad movie."

"Amen.Guilty Obsession?" She asked.

"Cooking, fixing stuff."

"Promise not to laugh?" She asked glancing at him with raised eyebrows. He nodded, smiling. "Sweet Valley." He burst out laughing.

"That was so much worse than I thought it would be."

"Shut up," she commanded swatting him. He retorted by tickling her sides. She squirmed and wriggled, standing up and jumping away from him. He followed her, tripping over a loose cobblestone sending them both to the ground. She sat up quickly and was on her feet in seconds. "I should go." She said forced, without moving.

"Yeah me too," he didn't move either.

"So I'm going to go."

"Yeah."

"So yeah," she walked five steps before turning and hurrying after him. Without looking she kissed him and realized she was where she belonged.

The end

Here's a sneak peek at my latest fic comin at ya in a few days.

When the entire Stars Hollow population leaves town to watch the basketball team play in the National finals Rory stays behind, much to Deans dispair, to study for finals. Jess also stays behind. Is one weekend enough time to fall in love? 


End file.
